Jodie Foster contributes to revive SETI

New York, Aug 12 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Jodie Foster is one of the many private donors who contributed to ensure that Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute gets operating again. The actress famously played fictional SETI scientist Ellie Arroway in the 1997 movie “Contact.”

SETI’s program in trying to prove that there are other beings outside the planet was closed earlier this year due to problem with funding. The institute has been able to generate about $200,000 which will make it possible for the program to resume and continue until the end of the year. Over 2,000 private donors made contribution to the program.

In making her donation, Foster sent a note that said, “Just like Ellie Arroway, the ATA is ‘good to go’ and we need to return it to the task of searching newly discovered planetary worlds for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. The Allen Telescope Array could turn science fiction into science fact, but only if it is actively searching the skies.”

SETI has set up the Allen Telescope Array in Northern California where the space is observed for the existence of other beings. ATA consist of 42 radio dishes. Each is 6 meters long and they have been arranged so that the sky can be scanned randomly from different directions.